Road To Love
by SweetAyu
Summary: Rin is forced into an engagement that she doesn't want. So, she runs away and joins a group of bandits. These bandits steal from the rich and give to the poor. Romance blooms between her and the leader of the bandits. Will he choose to love her or leave her? The setting is an alternative version during the late 1800s to the early 1900. SesshxRin
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters mentioned here.

Author Notes: Mm, yeah so I really wanted to write a western story, but still leaning towards a modern twist. I didn't do a lot of research beforehand so please keep in mind that I'm writing this as I go along with the plot. I'm trying to focus the setting during the late 1800s to the early 1900, but with an alternative version, different from history. I don't know if this will make a good story or not, but please leave a review to let me know if this story caught your interest. Thank you for reading!

* * *

Road to Love~

* * *

He wasn't supposed to be here, but his legs couldn't move. His body was leaning on the rough bark of a tree, the leaves being held by branches, giving him shade. His eyes didn't want to stray from the maiden's body.

He was not a dirty man, but he couldn't help and glimpse at the woman with nude fair skin.

He could hear the chirping of birds and the sound of water traveling down the river. He could also hear the distant humming song coming from the mouth of the brunette bathing in the river.

His hiding location wasn't too far away. He could see the way the water droplets trickled down her neck towards her breasts. They were small breasts, but perfectly shaped.

'_She really is beautiful. It feels like heaven wanted to give me a second chance to glimpse at this beautiful woman.'_

Rin silently knew he was there. She usually wasn't so brazen, but her curiosity got the better of her. She wondered if the cowboy recognized her. She wondered what he would do. Would he approach her or would he bolt, before she had the chance to speak with him, once more.

Her wet hair was splayed about her back.

'_I wonder if my clothes are dry…'_

She was starting to feel self-conscious of revealing her body to a man; to a stranger no less. She wasn't taking a bath in the river, because she wanted to entice a man. Her original thought had been to take a quick bath and remove the dirt and mud that had clung to her skin, when she had gone to pick wildflowers.

She lowered her arms and covered her breasts. She shyly glanced down to the reflection of the water; before she began her ascend out of the water.

Sesshomaru watched as the young woman picked up her chemise and began to dress. Her back was facing in his direction.

He heard a twig break only a few kilometers to his left. The noise seemed to bring his movement back. He pulled away from the tree's base and took out a knife from his boot. He threw the knife swiftly to the ground aiming at the throat of a coral snake.

Rin hurriedly buttoned up the buttons on her dress, before slipping on her boots. She patted the front of her dress in satisfaction, before turning around. Her gaze immediately fell on the spot where she had seen him glancing.

She felt a tad disappointed to find him gone, but she was immensely relieved to find out that he had not known she knew he had been peeking at her.

"Are you looking for something?" a suave, deep manly voice spoke.

Rin turned around and jumped back." Ah!"

She accidently stepped on the back of the dress' hem causing her to land quite ungracefully on her bottom.

"How did you-"Her words left unfinished when he intervened.

"I never expected to stumble upon a naïve, clumsy girl. What are you doing out here in these dangerous, parts of the woods, girl?"

Rin gulped inaudible as she stared at the man with fierce, amber eyes. She noticed the shadow his cowboy hat casted on his face. His long silver hair pulled back with a blue ribbon down his back.

"I was picking out wildflowers for tonight's banquet. But, I accidently rolled down a hill and became soggy with dirt and mud. That was when I decided to…" She paused in her explanation wondering why he was getting angry.

"You trust a stranger so completely that you will tell him your story," He grounded out.

Rin was now standing and facing him. She reached a little below his shoulders.

She looked at him through her lashes. A soft pink hue flustered upon her cheeks.

"I think you are a trust worthy person. Besides, this is my second time meeting you. Do you not remember? You helped me retrieve my pocket watch from that outlaw fellow. We were both riding the same train on that dusky evening."

Sesshomaru said nothing. He recalled that evening, very well.

Rin fidgeted under the intense silence, when she remembered that she did not know his name. She wondered if he remembered hers. Surely not….

Her body turned tense when he reached out and touched her cheek.

"Your name is Rin Noto," He said before his lips descended upon hers.

Rin's eyes fluttered close, wondering why she was letting him kiss her.

'_Why did I kiss her?'_ He asked himself as his lips coaxed to bring a response from hers.

Her lips softly swept upon his lips as she followed his example. Her lips parted and she felt his tongue enter her mouth.

"Rin! Rin, where are you!" A distance voice reached their ears.

They both pulled away from one another. Rin could feel disappointment surfacing on her facial features.

"Next time, I suggest you use another method when you're trying to seduce a man," Sesshomaru said with a hint of teasing. He tipped the side of his hat in her direction, before he turned around to walk away.

Rin called out to him, "I never got your name."

"The name's Sesshomaru," He entitled, before Rin let him go.

Minutes later, Souten sloped down from the hill and into the river bank. "Rin, I've been looking for you. We need to get back. If your step-mother finds out we came to the woods. She will surely dismiss me from my job."

The woman was almost in tears from worry.

"I'm sorry, Souten. I didn't mean to worry you." Rin said as she hugged the woman. "Let's go home, Kay."

Souten nodded, before she helped escort Rin up the hill of trees. Souten made sure to avoid the shady areas, where she feared vile vermin's' scoured the area.

-xXx

Kikyo walked up the corridor of the horse stalls. She exited the barn and made her way to the cobble stone house. She noticed the chimney had smoke coming out of it. _Mh, it seems Naraku's home. He must have locked himself inside the study room._

Kikyo thought wryly.

"Ma'am, welcome back! I have prepared the hot water for your bath." Kiyu greeted. She had her red brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail. The girl's green eyes showed loyalty to Kikyo.

"Thanks, Kiyu. Where's Rin?"

"Ah, well she went out. She said that she wanted to go pick wildflowers to decorate the vases for the banquet. I told her it was unnecessary, but she did not listen to me." Kiyu said her eyes on Kikyo's dirty riding boots.

"I suppose it can't be helped," Kikyo said after releasing a soft sigh.

"Can you go check if Lucy has finished preparing the errands needed for tonight's banquet? You can enlighten me after I have taken my bath." Kikyo stated, before she walked over to the staircase and started ascending the stairs.

"Yes, Ma'am," Kiyu called out. She then walked off down the hall to seek for Lucy.

Kikyo walked inside her room and walked over to her dresser. She looked through her outfits, before choosing an outfit fit for tonight's banquet. She then strolled inside her bathroom and set her clean clothes on a hanger.

She doubled check that the bathtub was clean and the clog was well adjusted. Kikyo then proceeded over to pull a string that was hanging near the wall to the far left. A wooden lever came out and hot water started pouring out into the round bathtub.

_I wonder if Rin will like the surprise that Naraku has prepared for her. I hope she doesn't cause a scandal if she does not agree with the idea of marrying her off to the mayor's son._ _The boy seems like a good candidate. I know Rin is not my daughter, but I promised her father that I would look after her. _

Kikyo settled inside the bathtub after getting rid of her horse riding clothes. She dipped her head inside the water, before coming back up to catch her breath. She washed her hair, while singing one of her favorite tunes.

Rin and Souten passed through the Durango Ranch gates. Rin extended out her arms and twirled around, before resuming down the ranch's pathway.

"You look so happy. Did something good happen to you?" Souten teased. One of her hands braided her hair.

"Yup," Rin answered. She gazed at the oak trees. She noticed that the workers around the ranch had finished decorating the place. Paper lanterns were hanged up using cables that were attached to steel poles.

But, her attention was more on the animal herds that were located on the pastures of the ranch. She loved to stare at the animals and watch the cowboys round together the herd and lead them back into their proper stables at the end of the day.

"Rin, won't you tell me?" Souten inquired.

Rin grinned, before wiggling her forefinger at her. "I met someone. Oh, Souten, he is the most wonderful man I have ever seen. He… He's just so mysterious."

Rin sighed contently remembering the kiss.

Souten smiled, feeling glad for her friend. She really hoped Rin would be able to live a happy life. Her friend deserved to live a happy life after all the tragedies that had befallen her family. She and Rin had known each other since they were little.

Souten's mother had brought Souten to work for the Durango's landowners. One day, Souten was abandoned by her mother. Souten had to learn to grown up without a mother. Luckily, Rin's father, Robert had taken her in as a second daughter. She was given privileges she thought she would never have around the ranch.

Of course everything changed when Katherine, Rin's mother passed away. Robert became distant and cold until eventually he remarried Kikyo. They lived two years filled with happiness, before another tragedy struck. Robert's death brought a lot grievance to the family.

Kikyo was never the same again after losing her husband. Robert was gunned down by outlaws a few days before Rin's birthday. The reasons for his death were unknown.

Kikyo became head mistress of the ranch properties, but because she didn't know how to handles negotiations or land properties, she decided to give power to Naraku. Naraku was half-brother of Robert making him, Rin's half uncle.

Naraku and Kikyo eventually had Souten returned to the position of a housemaid. But, Souten sometimes escaped from her duties to go escort Rin around town.

Rin poked Souten's cheek catching her friend's attention.

"Hey Souten, what are you thinking about?" Rin asked curiously. They had both stopped to stand on the front porch of the house.

"Mh, well, it was just about the occurrences of life." Souten replied back. "…But, Rin I must ask you if the man you met is trustworthy. He isn't someone forbidden, right?" Souten had to ask.

"Uh, well he seems to be trustworthy person, but I don't know him well enough to ascertain you. Souten, don't worry, I know how to take care of myself." Rin said patting her friend's shoulder.

_Actually, he might just be forbidden like Souten suspects. After all, why was he wandering around the woods? His reasons are unknown to me. _

"Alright, if you say so," Souten stared at her keenly.

Rin and Souten walked inside the house and went their separate ways. Rin went upstairs to her room and found an outfit lying on top of her bed mattress. She brushed her hand down the dress, before settling down near her seat window. She gazed out merrily.

A knock came to her room, shortly.

"Rin, can I come in?" Kikyo called out.

"Come in," Rin answered.

Kikyo walked inside Rin's bedroom. She gazed at the orange drapery hanging on Rin's window sill. The light shade of pink wallpaper contrasted nicely with the curtains. Rin's room was nicely decorated with shelves filled with books and small trinkets lying around on top of her drawers.

"Rin, I came to help you get dressed for tonight's banquet." Kikyo picked up the corset from the mattress, after putting aside her black fan.

"I appreciate that you came to help me get dressed." Rin said wondering why the occasion. Kikyo only came to help her get dressed when there was something important to occur.

"But, I must bathe before changing into clean clothes." Rin announced.

Kikyo stared at her step-daughter disapprovingly. "I thought you bathed earlier, today."

"Well, yes, but I got dirty after frolicking through the fields. I promise that I won't be long." Rin stared apprehensively into Kikyo's brown eyes.

"Very well," Kikyo said motioning a hand forward.

Rin left inside her bathroom. She took a quick bath with cold water washing her body, thoroughly. She knew the swim inside the river wasn't sufficient enough to be called a proper bath.

She stepped outside into her room wearing only her chemise and undergarments. Kikyo walked over and requested Rin to remove her chemise. Rin obliged, before allowing Kikyo to adjust the corset around her frame. The contrast of the corset made it hard to breath, but Rin adjusted to it.

Kikyo then helped Rin into her yellow dress. The dress was cross-stitch with expensive cloth material. The dress reached to Rin's ankles. The hem of the outfit had really nice flower stitch patterns. Kikyo then helped Rin into her dress boots. The boots were brand new and were fashionable for girls to wear with dresses.

"There, you're ready." Kikyo clapped her hands together. They had blow-dried Rin's hair, before curling it up with a curling ironer. Light makeup was applied to Rin's face.

"Come let us go downstairs. The guests have probably started arriving." Kikyo held out her arm to escort Rin downstairs.

"Okay," Rin answered. She took her step-mother's hand, gratefully.

00000

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Rin." Kohaku greeted. He placed a light kiss on Rin's hand. Rin smiled, before slipping her hand away from his. Kohaku stared off into the distance and appreciated the night. Rin stood beside him. Her hand felt heavy with the engagement ring. It was a small, modest silver ring band, but the responsibilities it came with became weight on her.

"Rin, I know we don't know each other very well, but I will try hard to be a good husband for you." Kohaku made the situation clear. He turned to stare at her with a grin.

Rin knew Kohaku was being sincere, but she just felt like screaming and running away from this celebratory festival. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun. She wondered if her suffering was oblivious to them. She didn't want to marry a stranger she didn't love. She didn't want to abide to her uncle's demands.

Rin didn't say anything. She turned to stare at the crowd dancing around the bonfire. Kohaku sighed feeling dejected. He truly wished to capture Rin's attention.

At first, he had felt compelled to reject the idea of marrying someone he wasn't accustomed to knowing. He did not agree of marrying for money-wise. In the end, he could not reject the proposal. Unknowingly, he fell in love at first glance when he met Rin.

She had looked so beautiful with the evening sunlight splayed upon her face.

"Rin, you've probably heard, but I wanted to tell you that I will be traveling on the country road for a few weeks. I really wish I didn't have to go. I would have loved to spend that time getting to know you better. But, alas I can't leave work abandoned. Though, I promise I will write letters to you. I hope you will write me back letters, too." Kohaku's boot scuffed the dirt. He had one of his arms draped around her shoulders.

Rin's lip curled slightly. She decided to speak what was on her mind. "I do not wish to marry someone I don't love. Kohaku, if you wish to write me letters you may, but please understand that I am not oblige to answer them."

"Yes, I understand our situation," Kohaku felt a little undignified, but kept silent. He was taught better than to scold a woman's cheekiness.

Rin excused herself and walked off to join a group of girls. They spent the night chattering about gossips and the daily life. The party lasted for a good while, before it ended. Everyone retreated to their proper houses for the night.

"Today was definitely a good evening. I enjoyed the company." Naraku commented as he walked Kikyo and Rin to their respected rooms.

"Yes, it was enjoyable. The food was exceptional. The party guests were thrilled knowing Rin became engaged to a good hardworking man," Kikyo agreed. She carried her shawl in her arms.

"The music was very enjoyable," Rin said adding her input on the conversation. Naraku glanced at his niece with a sturdy apprehension. He had expected for her to go against his demands, but she didn't seem interested in doing so.

'_I don't think right now is a good time to converse about the plans I have for her future. Tomorrow, during breakfast we'll talk the situation more calmly.' _Naraku thought to himself.

Naraku bid goodnight watching them go inside their rooms, before leaving to his own quarters.

Rin opened her chest drawer and started throwing clothes out into her bed mattress. She took out her suitcase from under her bed and started packing up her clothes. She packed things that she thought were very important to her.

'_I'm not going to allow Naraku and Kikyo to manipulate my life. I'm going to go search for my own destiny.'_ Rin thought defiantly. She changed out of her evening outfit and into more comfortable clothes. She put on pants with a brown belt, a button sleeved blouse, and her cowboy boots.

She picked up her suitcase, before sneaking outside using her bedroom window. When she was small she used to love climbing trees. It didn't become a difficulty for her to climb down the tree that stood near her bedroom window.

"Where are you going?" a voice called out. Rin's back was towards Souten. She glanced to stare behind her. "I'm leaving. I'm not going to stay here and watch as Naraku destroy my life. Souten, I know his intentions are not good. He is trying to profit out of me."

Souten knew that Rin was right. She couldn't force her friend to stay just because she didn't want to be left behind.

"Then… I'm coming with you." Souten announced. She walked over and took one of Rin's hands in hers. Rin stared down at it, before looking up at her face. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Rin knew that they would be struggling to make a life anew in a town far away from here.

"Of course," Souten replied back.

"Okay," Rin nodded before she glanced to stare back at her house. Souten knew she didn't have time to pack her stuff, so she would just have to adapt to what she could afford to buy.

Both young girls rode out of the Durango ranch not looking back. They took Rin's horse with them.

000

They reached the train station just as the train came in. It roared its mechanical roar, blasted smoke from its smoke hole. There were people already there and some arriving. The train station was a busy place to be even late into the night.

Rin petted her brown horse with affection bidding goodbye. Souten had gone ahead to go buy their train tickets.

"Take care, Buttercup. I promise you will be taken care of properly." Rin hugged her horse, before allowing the young gentleman to lead her horse away into the container that was attached to the train cars. They placed all the animals that were traveling in there. She was lucky enough to make negotiation with the young man to persuade him to allow her to take her horse. They were using almost all the money she brought with her to buy the train tickets.

Rin wiped away the tears from her eyes. Souten patted Rin on her shoulder comforting her. They had ridden Buttercup for two hours before reaching the train station. If she wanted to escape far away, she would have to travel by train.

"Come on, Rin. We have to board the train." Souten said leading Rin towards the train. The whistle for the last boarding call sounded. There was a rush in the throng of people as the workers hustled to their stations and the passengers hurried to the train.

Rin and Souten sat near a window. They both silently watched at the first light rays of the sun started rising over the land.

Once everyone had settled into their seats a train conductor stood in the front, "We are about to depart from the station. Please, make sure you stay in your seats at all times." He left to go talk to the rest of the sections to relay the same message.

A noise resounded throughout the train.

Souten stared wide eyed, looking everywhere for the source of the noise. It was her first time on a train. Then she looked outside the window. Outside the earth, trees, everything was whizzing by. They were going faster than a horse could run. They couldn't see one thing clearly; it was all a colorful blur.

Rin placed a hand on top of Souten's trembling hand. Rin manage to calm down her friend.

They slept for the first half of the trip of the train ride, before using the second half of the train ride to talk and make plans for their new lives.

"Yes, we definitely should keep moving around and not stay too long in one place." Souten agreed with a nod. Rin picked up her suitcase and placed it on her lap. "Well, since we have that settled, I think I'll take some time to read some of my novels I brought with me. Here you can read this one."

Rin handed a novel to Souten. Souten stared at the romance novel in her hands. "Rin, I didn't know you still read these books. I thought Kikyo had taken them away from you."

"Yes, that's true, but it didn't stop me from continuing to buy them. You already know how much I love romance novels." Rin said releasing a happy sigh.

Souten smiled, before she flipped around the pages of the book. Women were not supposed to be educated, but Rin had begged her father to teach her. He obliged with the condition that Rin would be discreet in public about her education. Since Robert was fond of Souten he allowed her to participate in the private classes he gave to his daughter.

Rin squealed in delight when she reached an interesting part of the novel. Souten placed down the book on top of her lap. She looked out the window. Her eyes had adjusted to the train's fast movement, so she could distinct some sceneries from others.

Rin's eyes soon grew weary and she placed down her novel on top of her lap. She closed her eyes and thought back onto the earlier memory she had of her previous travel on the train ride.

Rin remembered perfectly how the train had slowed down to a halt. She remembered hearing the screams of passengers panicking in alarm. The door to their compartment had slammed open and a man walked inside. He had demanded for the passengers silence and for their most precious valuables. The man had been the one to take away her pocket watch. She had begged for the man to return her pocket watch back claiming its value was worthless.

"Rin, wake up!" Souten called out in a panicky voice. Rin opened her eyes to stare back at Souten's damp ones. Rin became confused by the look of panic in Souten's eyes.

Rin sat up on her seat and noticed that all around them there was shouting. People were getting out of their seats. The train was stopped, but it was too dark to see if they had reached their destination.

"What's going on?" Rin asked.

Souten grabbed Rin's hand. "Bandits have taken control of the train. They are demanding for the passengers to deposit their valuables to them. I heard they haven't reached our compartment, yet." Souten explained.

"Let's get out of here before they kill us!" A man shouted to nearby passengers. They turned to the back door and walked up to it willing to escape from the bandits.

Before they could reached the door, the front door burst open causing screams from startled people. Souten grabbed Rin and threw herself on the floor.

Dark figures came into the train from the broken door into the light. The first man to be seen pulled a gun from the inside of his coat. He aimed at the first shaken man and fired. It hit him dead on, right between his eyes. Blood squirted out of the hole that was blasted in his head. He went cross-eyed. Then fell limp to the floor.

"Ah!"

Panic ensued after that. The men fired randomly, killing whoever was in their way.

Souten lay on top of Rin protecting her. Rin wanted to help, but she could not escape Souten's strong grip.

Someone stepped on Souten but she didn't mind as long as they thought she was dead. She knew that the dead weren't worth a bullet. There was a loud thud to her right. Someone had fallen down. She looked over to the person. The body was torn and bloody.

The smell of blood was thick in the air.

Souten whispered to Rin. "Keep your eyes closed, don't open them."

Rin nodded keeping her eyes closed. _'What kind of bandits are they? They are so vile compared to the ones I encountered previously.'_

Most of the noise eventually died down. They didn't know how much time had passed. Souten looked around noticing the seat's cushions were ripped open, the stuffing covered in blood.

Bodies strewn across the floors, piled on each other. She then noticed that there were two women huddled together talking, their voices carried over to her but not their words.

Souten slowly and quietly stood up. She noticed that the women had yet to notice her.

Rin sat up. She looked vigilantly around the train. She was shaking in fear. Rin had never encountered so much violence in her life before.

Souten was nervous about calling attention, especially after what just happened but these women looked confused about what just happened. "Excuse me, but-"

"Souten!" Rin yelled after her friend.

Behind Souten, a tall bulky man pointed a gun at her back. The bandit had appeared out of nowhere. The man became surprised when he heard Rin shout that his aim was fired weakly. The bullet hit Souten's arm throwing her back. Blood squirted out from the impact.

The two women who had been huddling close to one another disappeared out the busted door. Souten staggered forward.

"Kill her!" Rin heard a man shout out at his companion. The man walked inside the compartment. He kicked the dead bodies aside. He yanked Rin upward and held her close to him. "You're coming with me." He whispered harshly.

Another shot rang out. A painful scream escaped Souten's bloody lips. Rin thrashed under the man's firm grip. "No! Leave me alone!"

The bandit that had shot Souten walked over to the man holding Rin down. "Let's get out of here now! We got what we came for! Let's go!"

"Okay, we can go now," The man replied back knocking Rin unconscious. Rin's body fell limp upon his arms.

Loud footsteps echoed behind them as the two men turned around to face Sesshomaru. "Put her down," authority rang clearly in his voice.

"Shit! It's him."

"What the heck is he doing here?"

The two women who had disappeared walked back inside the compartment. They were each holding a gun. "Put down the girl. Maybe we'll be nice to spare your lives."

The two women were backing up Sesshomaru. The men dropped their weapons and Rin to the floor. One of them tried to take the opportunity to escape, but Sango aimed her gun at him and allowed her bullet to graze his thigh leg. The man fell to the floor paralyzed in fear.

The other man had surrendered willingly. Kagome walked over and picked up the guns from the floor. She detached a rope from her cowboy belt. She used the rope to wrap and tie down the unconscious bandits.

"I already got the other men tied down. I left them unconscious." Inuyasha said as he walked inside the compartment where Sesshomaru and his two other companions resided in.

"Damn, we should have brought Miroku with us. He could have at least tried to attend to some of the wounded." Inuyasha cursed under his breath.

"Well, it's not like we knew that this train was going to be hijack by another gang of thieves." Sango said out loud. When they had gotten here, the place was already full of the wounded. Most of the passengers were either dead or dying.

"This girl is still breathing, though." Kagome announced. She was checking over Rin's pulse.

"So, what do we do now? We also have to get out of here. We don't want the bad fame of these bandits to smear our good reputation." Inuyasha huffed in anger.

"Did you get what we came here for?" Sesshomaru asked Inuyasha.

"Yeah, I got it." Inuyasha answered. He had the map they came looking for. The rumor was that that map held the secret hideout to a rare treasure chest. The person who would become owner of that treasure chest would become rich for a lifetime.

"Let's get out here!" Sesshomaru declared. He was about to turn around when he heard a voice call out his name.

"S-Sesshomaru, is that you?" Rin manage to cough out as she regained consciousness.

Kagome and Sango were surprised that the girl knew Sesshomaru's name. "How does she know your name?" Sango asked, concerned.

"This isn't my first time meeting her. We've met beforehand." Sesshomaru answered Sango's question. Kagome turned to stare at Rin who was weakly trying to sit up. _'I thought it was just me, but apparently it's not. This girl is the same girl from that other hijack we did a few weeks ago. Sesshomaru had amended to her pleas.'_

Kagome smiled her brown eyes fixed upon Sesshomaru. "How about we take her with us? I don't see the harm. She could be useful to us."

"We don't kidnap people. We don't sell them off as merchandise, either. What do you want us to do with this girl? You seriously-" Inuyasha looked annoyed.

"Oh, I don't know. But we just can't leave her here with these bandits that were going to end up raping her, anyway." Kagome interrupted Inuyasha's rant.

"P-please don't leave me here with them." Rin pleaded. She had tears in her eyes.

"Bring her with us. We'll see what we'll do with her afterward." Sesshomaru instructed. He turned around and walked off. Inuyasha glared at the floor feeling like a fool. He had expected Sesshomaru to contradict Kagome, but he didn't. Inuyasha walked after his half-brother.

Kagome helped Rin up to her feet. "Don't worry, you'll be safe."

Sango had her arms crossed over her chest. "You know, he's not too happy about bringing her along. I wonder what kind of relationship you have with him."

Rin's heart was stuttering rapidly. She noticed Souten's sprawled and bloody body, before staring up at Sango with a turbulent expression. "P-please can you check on my friend? Is she dead?"

Sango tipped her head to the side noticing Souten's unconscious form. It was the girl that had been trying to grab their attention, earlier. "Sure,"

Rin smiled weakly before passing out again. Kagome wasn't surprised and had been prepared to hoist Rin onto her back. Kagome walked out of the compartment following behind her companions.

They were soon riding out on their horses towards the tall mountains and vast countryside. They met up with Miroku who helped them unload the merchandise and give water to the horses, before they continued riding towards their hideout.

00000


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the main characters mentioned in this story.

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**Author Notes**: Wow, I'm so happy to receive such a great amount of support for this story. I never expected my inbox to be flooded with so much interest for this story. Please keep supporting me by leaving a review. Okay, I thought I should let you know that updating might be a little slow because I'm limited to writing throughout the following months. Also, please keep in mind that no demon in this story is immortal. Demons eventually die of old age, too. I'm still a bit against having demons in a western theme story, but I did want something different from the original history, so I hope you'll like the idea I came up with. I should also warn you there's a small lovemaking scene in this chapter. Please keep in mind, that the beginning of this chapter is a flashback of Rin's first time meeting Sesshomaru. It is after the flashback that the story starts picking back off to the where the first chapter left off in. Please enjoy the second chapter of...

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Road to Love~

* * *

-Flashback-

Every passenger in the train became silent. They watched as a young man with short black hair walk inside the car train. "Listen carefully; if you cooperate with our demands then you can be assured that no harm will come to you or your children."

The hilt of a gun was viewable as he stood in front of the door. The crowd of passengers inside the car train shivered in fear. "I'm going to be walking down this hall, now. Hand over all your jewelry and valuable assets." Miroku demanded in a calm tone. His voice was strong and secure. He wore a bandana over his face to cover his identity.

Miroku made his way down the hall. The passengers cooperated and handed over their valuable assets depositing them inside the bag. Rin watched in silence as the bandit reached her seat. Rin was sitting near the window and by her side was Kiyu, one of her stepmother's servants. Kiyu deposited Rin's jewelry inside the bag. She didn't dare to stare into the eyes of the bandit for fear of her life.

Rin's shoulder shook with fear. She had never been this close to a bandit before. Bandits had gunned down her father. Though, it was unlikely that this bandit had anything to do with that horrible incident.

"That pocket watch you're holding in your hands, looks valuable. Hand it over," Miroku spoke to Rin. Rin dared to glance up at him, her lips trembled. _'No, not my father's watch...'_

"...Please, my father's watch is not worth anything. It-" Rin tried to defend her precious treasure. Miroku sighed behind his bandana. He felt sorry for the lovely lady, but he had no other choice. Bandits shouldn't show sympathy to their victims. His large hand reaches over and grasps the pocket watch, noticing how Rin cries out a protest, before Kiyu reaches out and holds Rin back. Kiyu placed a finger against Rin's lips to silence her.

"I'm sorry, please forgive her." Kiyu apologized, a hand held Rin's head down. She had to protect her mistress, if not Kikyo would be disappointed in her for failing to protect Rin.

Miroku gave Kiyu a meager glare, before resuming his walk down the hall. He continued down the hall collecting valuables from the passengers that cooperated and gave him no troubles. Rin began to cry softly in her seat. The young bandit tried not to feel any sympathy for the young lady.

Sango and Kagome had finished raiding the other train cars. They exited out of the train and started loading their treasures into their wagon carriage. "We have to leave before the police, gets here. Call Yash!" Kagome asked Sango.

"Sure!" Sango replied back. She placed her two fingers into her mouth and whistled really loud giving Inuyasha their signal.

Sesshomaru was sitting in his seat, pretending to be one of the passengers of the train. No one suspected that he was behind this robbery. He had been the one that stopped the train. He was also responsible in tying up the train conductor and locking him in the engine control room.

It looked like this train had some interesting cargo. He could hear the soft cries of the young woman that had the gall to defy a bandit. When she first spoke, he had been surprised. The girl was so young, but she looked like she could become a very courageous person.

The woman was also very pretty. She was wearing an orange hue colored dress with frill lace on the edges of her chest. Her cleavage looked ample and her eyes were a gorgeous honey color.

Miroku reached his seat. It was all part of the plan. His partner handed him the bag filled with gold and gems. Sesshomaru motioned to Miroku using their silent signal.

He stood up and took out his gun aiming at Miroku's shoulder. "I'm in charge now."

"Shit," Miroku cursed under his breath. He raised both his hands and walked out of the car train with his back facing the door. He made his exit briskly.

"Everyone stay calm. I'm going to go inspect the other train cars and check on the train conductor. Everyone stays in their seats," Sesshomaru declared passively to his audience. No one dared to defy him. He was still holding a gun in his hand. He walked down the hall of the train compartment.

Sesshomaru was disguised as a patrol officer. He was wearing a navy blue uniform and had his silver hair pulled back.

"I believe this is yours. Take it," Sesshomaru stopped next to the seat Kiyu occupied. Kiyu couldn't stare into his sharp gold eyes. She had her head down, eyes facing the floor. Sesshomaru was handing Rin back her father's pocket watch. Rin stared back at him in shock._ 'Is he really an officer from the police department?'_

"Thank you-" Rin reached out and took back the pocket watch. Her hand had grazed over his hand. A small spark of electricity ran down her body from the touch.

Sesshomaru resumed walking down the hall. Rin stood up from her seat and went to stand in the hall of the train cart. "Excuse me; I didn't get your name to thank you properly. I'm Rin Noto," she called out to him.

She watched him as he glanced back at her. His gaze seemed angry. _'D-did I do something wrong?'_

"Just be grateful, that I decided to exclude your precious pocket watch from this stash of treasure." He said in a calm, but fierce tone.

Rin gulped nervously. _'What did he mean by that?'_

She watched him exit out of the compartment train car. The passengers, who had been silent throughout the scene, started talking out loud and started complaining about the strange phenomenon that had just occurred. The cart was occupied by rich families. Kiyu walked over to Rin and led her back to her seat near the window. "Miss Rin, that was careless of you. Please be more careful. Although, these bandits didn't harm us, bandits are very dangerous."

"I'm sorry," Rin apologized. She glanced out her window and noticed four silhouettes riding out horses in the dusky evening. Another silhouette drove a wagon carriage that followed behind them.

_'I wonder if he was with those people.' _Rin wondered briefly. Her heart was still fluttering from the touch of his hand. _'I want to see him, again.'_

-end of flashback-

Xx

"Look, she's waking up," Sango announced. She removed the warm wet cloth from Rin's forehead. Rin sat up slowly protesting from the pain that traveled down to her waist.

"You've been riding a horse in an odd position. So it's reasonable that you'll feel pain from the uncomfortable ride," Sango stated, politely. She was sitting next to her on a black stool. Rin had been lying down on a wool blanket that was draped on smooth rock surface. She noticed that they were inside a cave. The cave was lit up by lantern lights.

The cave looked like a hide out. The place was set up to accommodate everyone needs as the place had a home decoration appeal. A warm fire was set up and the smell of soup being prepared made Rin's stomach grumble.

"I'm not surprised to see that you're hungry. Lunch will be ready soon," Sango said as she stood up. Rin noticed the woman had long brown hair. The woman was wearing a short skirt made of jean material. She was wearing boots with spurs on their sides.

Sango walked over to check on the large cauldron that contained the soup. She stirred the contents of the food noticing that the chunks of meat were cooking rather nicely.

"Mmm," Sango loved the smell of cooked vegetables.

Rin thought back to her peculiar dream. It was more of a flashback than anything, really. It felt strange that she was sitting inside this cave with bandits as fellow companions. She noticed that the man with short black hair was lying down in a blue hammock. One of his long legs was swinging the hammock back and forth.

"Sango," He called out with closed eyes.

"You know that I love your meals. You always know how to please a man's stomach." Miroku commented idly. He was smirking devilishly.

Sango had the ladle in one of her hands. "Shush Miroku; don't say such things in front of our guest."

Rin noticed Sango's blush. Maybe, these two bandits are married. Though, she couldn't be too sure.

Then, she remembered the sounds of gunshots and her friend Souten, who got injured trying to protect her. She looked around the cave hoping that the bandits had brought Souten along with them.

"M-my friend... where is she?" Rin asked out loud.

"We left her behind. You're lucky that you're here with us. We don't usually take hostages in." Sango said turning to face Rin. Her expression wasn't friendly, anymore.

Rin shivered remembering that bandits were not good people. They could become very dangerous people to associate with.

"Don't worry, your friend isn't dead. She has demon blood. She'll survive," Sango mentioned before turning her attention back to the fire pit, where the food was cooking.

Miroku was staring at Rin. He noticed that she had a wonderful body figure. Her lips also looked good enough to taste.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" Miroku asked motioning to Rin's body. "I'm a doctor. I can heal you up pretty nicely. My medicine works wonders. It's very similar to demon healing."

Rin stared at the man speaking to her. He seemed nice enough, but there was a dirty look in his eyes that she didn't like very much.

"Demon healing..." Rin whispered. She still couldn't believe that Souten was a demon. She had heard tales of demons living and hiding amongst the humans. A demon was a human with super enhanced abilities. Demons were said to be very powerful. A normal human could never outrun a demon.

She wondered if Souten knew she had demon blood. Souten had never once mentioned to her that she was related to a blood family of demon.

"Sango, I'm going to the back room to look over that map, again. Call me when the food is ready," Miroku said towards his companion. He stood up and stretched his muscles. He was wearing a thin shirt that was tucked in his pants.

"Yeah okay," Sango answered back. She wondered if she was being too harsh with the young woman. She didn't mean to be, but she just wanted to make sure that the girl knew her place. Sesshomaru hadn't told them how to treat her, so it was only right that they treat her as a hostage.

Miroku turned back to stare at the young girl, before noticing that she was gone. "Hm, it looks like our hostage got away."

Sango sighed," I knew I should have tied her up. Oh well, there no way she will be able to escape from here. Our hideout is well build."

"I wonder what her name is..." Miroku spoke idly as he walked down further into the cave heading to the back room. Sango listened to Miroku's soft whistling song, before smiling lightly in the direction he left. "Stupid fool..."

Rin ran down the dim lighted cave. She felt light headed, but resumed her escape. She headed towards the direction of the sunlight at the end of the long tunnel. She soon exited out of the cave, breathing fresh air.

Rin thought she was finally free, but she then noticed that she was facing an interesting perspective of what seemed to be thousands of trees. Nowhere around the woods was a clear pathway that led to the road. She stood at the edge of a rock crevice from the large mountain that had led her from the tunnel she had just exited from.

She took a hesitant step forward noticing that down below the rocky mountain was a huge pool of water. A waterfall was located on the far left side and the surroundings around her hid the hideout of these bandits very well.

"W-what kind of place is this?" Rin wondered out loud. She noticed from her view that she could see where horses were grazing the grass. She stared at the specks of the animals before realizing that a horse could take her traveling to far distances. She could go find Souten, now.

"I have to try at least..." Rin exclaimed having an urge to run and reach a horse. She wanted to get away from here as fast as possible. She wondered why she had begged a couple of bandits to take her with them. Had it been out of desperation?

No, it had been because she saw Sesshomaru. She had wanted to be with Sesshomaru, but she had woken up to find strangers. He was nowhere in sight. It made her feel stupid that she had run away from home to avoid an engagement she didn't want. Now it would seem that she was a hostage to a group of bandits. _'I'm a hostage. I wonder if their planning on using me to gain more money?'_

She didn't like the thought. Rin made her way down the mountain rocky pathway. Her pants made it easy to climb down the mountain's steepness. She was carefully to not slip and throw herself into the cold water of the river.

The current seemed calm and not too strong. If a person knew how to swim they had a good chance of surviving from the current, if they ended up falling inside it.

Rin was soon standing on stable dirt ground and green grass. She walked around the sidelines of the river shore and headed towards the direction where she had seen the horses. She was glad that she had decided to wear cowboy boots and pants. It gave her easier access to navigate through the bushes and thick trunk trees. A dress would have been harder for her to run with.

Small beads of sweat formed and ran down her forehead. The sun was really hot and her mouth started feeling parched. She had almost made it to the clearing where the horses were grazing, when she started hearing strange noises.

_'Love me longer. Love me a little more until I am almost out of breath.'_

His silver hair swayed in the light wind, making the strands tickle her cheeks. She rocked her hips against him hoping to receive more pleasure.

"Hah!"

Kagome cried out fervently. She felt his hands on her body. Her breasts were being fondled with his mouth. His tongue was running over the firmness of her breast, causing her nipples to become hard.

"Hnn," Kagome breathed. She felt Inuyasha's firm hands sliding off her underwear. She pressed her body closer to his. Her slit was rubbing against his throbbing member making her moan.

"Inu...yasha hmm," Kagome moaned feeling him enter her. Her walls felt so tight and rigid, but very pleasurable. Kagome was turned on just by hearing his soft groans of pleasure. Her breasts rubbed against his firm muscled frame. Inuyasha groaned into his passionate kiss with Kagome. He started increasing his rhythm as he pounding inside of her inner walls.

It had been a while since the last time they have had sex. Their bodies were strewn on the grass. Their clothes were thrown to the side in a small pile next to them.

"Ah... Ah," Kagome cried out. Her face was flushed with pleasure enjoying Inuyasha's love making. _'Damn... I can't stop making noises. I don't want someone to hear us. It'd be so embarrassing...'_

Rin backed away pressing her back against a tree trunk. She averted her stare and looked to the side in embarrassment. _'I- I just saw something so inappropriate. W-what are they...?'_

_'Eek! Okay, I'm getting out of here!'_ Rin turned around and started heading back towards the river. She wanted to get away from that romantic couple as fast as possible. The idea of escaping with a horse was long gone.

She made it safely back to the river. The run had made her feel really hot, though. She also felt out of breath. _'Back there, for a second I thought it was Sesshomaru with that girl, but it wasn't him. It was just someone that has similar features, but they're not the same person. '_

Her heart was racing fast. _'Water, I need water... I'll probably feel much better after that.'_

A dizziness spell started falling upon her. She fell down on her hands and knees. Rin's vision blurred with black spots, before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She regained her vision as she glanced up and noticed that it was Sesshomaru. His gaze seemed troubled.

"..You have a fever. Those idiots actually let you run around in this condition..." He gritted in low voice thinking about Sango and Miroku. He was kneeling down next to her.

_'Is he worried about me?'_ Rin wondered. She reached up to touch his forehead. "You're really here. I thought I had imagined you," Rin mumbled. She was sitting up, her butt firm against the ground. She noticed his hair was damp and his clothes were humid. Sesshomaru had probably been standing near the waterfalls.

"I'm here, but that is of the least concerns. I have to get you back to the caves. You're burning up with fever," Sesshomaru commented. He picked her up with ease, before he started heading behind the waterfall of the mountain, where another entrance to the cave was located.

Rin noticed that he was carrying her bridal style like in the romantic novels she had read about. It brought a soft smile to her face. Her ear was pressed up against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. It was a steady rhythm that lulled her to sleep.

_'The sound of his heartbeat is so beautiful.'_

XX

Kikyo stood in front of the desk where Naraku sat in his chair. The atmosphere between them was tense.

"Naraku, what are we going to do? Rin is gone." Kikyo announced, before she walked over to stand in front of the window. She silently fanned herself with her favorite black fan. All these worries weren't doing well to her.

"It's regrettable to know that Rin didn't want to marry the mayor's son," Kikyo whispered feeling distraught. She wondered how she would explain to the mayor's family that the bride has gone missing.

"That is true. I suppose our second option is to find her and bring her back by force." Naraku replied his deep tone of voice had an angry edge to it.

"The plan was to marry her off to the mayor's son. After the marriage, Rin and Kohaku would both befall a terrible, unfortunate fate. The Shinoaki family is about to go bankrupt and they believe that marrying into this family will make their investments expand. It's unfortunate that that is not the case. I can't forgive such a greedy family." Naraku commented idly. He was writing new instructions down in a piece of clean paper.

"So, how are you going to stop the investigation if the Shinoaki family wants to invest their money on our family? You know that what we are doing is illegal. Naraku, you are the only one who knows that Robert left me nothing in his testament." Kikyo turned around, her stare fierce. _'Robert__ is no longer here with me. I can never forgive him for leaving me defensive less in this world. He entrusted his daughter to me, and I do cherish her, but the truth is a part of me wants Rin to meet a cruel death.'_

"Don't worry about the investigators, I already dealt with them. The Shinoaki family doesn't know who they are dealing with."

"Kikyo, I'm sure you're okay with this decision. Although, it is true that you didn't inherit anything, I can find many methods to use for your advantage. You must hate Robert for leaving everything under Rin's name. All these years, you've been controlling land that doesn't belong to you." Naraku smirked, smugly at the end. Kikyo's pride always got hurt when he mentioned this. "But, don't worry I'm here for you."

Kikyo frowned lightly, "You mean to say that you've been controlling the lands, alongside me. You are the one that controls the investments in this family, after all."

"Yes," Naraku said, not caring. In the end, he still shared his diseased half-brother's money with Kikyo, even if he had more control over the investments.

"What are you going to do about our problem?" Kikyo demanded. Her gaze was apprehensive as she stared at the older man. She never liked it when he gave her a hard time, but she loved him none the less. Kikyo found associating business with Naraku brought her great benefits. The thought of being left wandering the roads begging for money scared her very much.

"I'm going to marry Rin to Kohaku, no matter what it takes. Then, they'll both die from a miserable death. I just need to find Rin. It won't be hard. I have many connections around these lands." Naraku informed Kikyo.

Kikyo stayed silent, her head bent down. _'His plan is filled with such refined smugness. How I envy his courage and boldness. I have nothing else to say to him. He knows what he is doing.'_

"If you'll excuse me," Kikyo said excusing herself as she walked over to exit his office. Naraku stared at her retreating back. "The time will come when I will need you to assist me. Kikyo, don't you dare think about abandoning me on this task, alone." He used his authority's voice that demanded respect.

"Of course, don't you worry about that," Kikyo responded back, before she exited the office. She walked down the hallways of the house, before reaching her room and staying inside it for the rest of the afternoon.

Xx

Rin woke up to the smell of medicinal herbs. She was lying down in the smooth rock surface, once more. Another of the bandits was sitting next to her on the stool. She had wavy mid length hair.

Kagome smiled at Rin. "Good morning, you slept most of yesterday after you fainted. How do you feel?"

"..Okay, but I'm really thirsty." Rin said, recognizing the woman. It was the woman who had been with that other man with silver hair.

She sat up, noticing that it was just the two of them.

"Here you go. Drink slowly, so you can digest it. You haven't eaten for two days now. You must be famished," Kagome mentioned handing Rin a small ceramic bowl filled with fresh water.

Rin drank slowly out of the bowl. She felt much better after drinking fresh water.

"W-where are the others?" Rin asked.

"Ah, they are preparing for another raid." Kagome informed her new companion.

"Oh," Rin mumbled.

Kagome laughed lightly," You'll see Sesshomaru, soon."

"Mm, are they coming back soon?" Rin dared to ask.

"Oh no, there not coming back. Actually, we are going to meet up with them. You see, we move a lot. After the raid, we will be heading out to a town that needs our assistance. We steal from the rich to give to the poor."

"Though, I don't know if Sesshomaru will let you come with us. I hope he will. I like you," Kagome said handing her a piece of fresh bread. Rin took the bread eagerly in her hands and took a bite out of it.

Kagome smiled," I forgot to mention my name. My name's Kagome. What's your if I may ask?"

"Mm, it's Rin Noto."

Rin took another bite of her bread. The thought of Sesshomaru leaving her behind saddened her, but she knew that it was best that she didn't travel with bandits. She would never be accepted. A rich girl like her didn't belong with them. Though, she did find it admiring that they stole for the poor. She had never liked it how societies were divided. Though, it was still most likely that these kind people still carried deaths on their consciousness.

Kagome stood up and turned to stare at her surroundings. "I'm going to miss this place, but we'll eventually return here, again."

"Rin, when you're ready tell me so we can start heading out, okay." Kagome stated.

Rin nodded, "Okay."

When Rin finished eating and had gone to the bath room to wash up, both girls set out on their small journey. They traveled through the woods on Kagome's horse and reached the other members of the group of bandits.

Sango was wearing a new outfit that matched with the others. Miroku was looking dashing as ever. Inuyasha had a small scowl on his face, but it softened when his eyes fell on Kagome.

Sesshomaru was wearing an outfit fit for a cowboy. Rin couldn't help, but blush when their eyes made eye contact.

"Kagome, I'm glad you made it. We have everything prepared for our next robbery." Sesshomaru said he looked serious. Kagome nodded knowing that they had to be careful on today's robbery. It was still daylight. They did most of their robberies at night. Today, they would be stealing from the main fortress, a bank. The map they acquired on their last heist indicted to a hidden location where the bank stood. They were planning on stealing from the Durango estates.

Sango walked over Rin and held out her hand. "I'm Sango, I'm sorry for being rough on you, yesterday. I scared you and I didn't think about your health." Sango had an apologetic expression.

Rin shook hands with Sango accepting her apology. Sango had really scared her and she was also disappointed that this woman hadn't brought Souten along with them. Rin really hoped Souten was okay. She missed her friend a lot.

Rin shook her head, "No it's okay. I understand."

Sango smiled," You're really nice. I'm glad to meet you. Are you feeling better, today? You know, Miroku is a really good doctor."

Miroku walked over and placed a hand on Sango's shoulder," Thanks Sango. Well, you look much better. Your cheeks have regained color."

"Yes, I feel much better, today. Thank you for asking." Rin answered smiling at them, both. She stared at their hands that had no ring bands. "Uh, I don't mean to be forward or anything, but are you two married?" Rin asked, politely.

Miroku stifled a laugh and Sango punched Miroku lightly on the chest. "No, we're not. I rarely compliment this man. Hphm, I shouldn't have bothered. We're just partners in crime."

Miroku smiled," Yes, we're just partners in crime. You see, Sango is very stern in letting a man win her heart."

"Rin, I'm married to Inuyasha. He's Sesshomaru's brother, by the way." Kagome said, joining the conversation. She smiled showing Rin her necklace that was hidden under her blouse. A ring band was hanging from the necklace.

"Hello," Inuyasha responded in a gruff tone when he heard the mention of his name. He returned to talking with Sesshomaru about some questions he had.

"Ah, I see." Rin smiled at Kagome, before looking back at Sango. "I'm sorry for the unwanted question."

_'I'm glad to know that Kagome and Inuyasha are married. I guess what they were doing together, isn't bad. They must be a couple that loves each other very much.'_

"No, it's okay. It's understandable about your curiosity." Sango answered. She couldn't help but think that Rin resembled her a lot in spirit. Rin must have a family she left behind just like her.

Inuyasha walked over to them, "Right now is not the time for conversations. We need to leave. Kagome, you'll be my partner, today."

"I'll be joining today. I'm going to be helping Sango." Miroku informed Kagome. "Ah, okay" Kagome answered.

"Alright, you guys get going. I'll meet you at our destination point." Sesshomaru stated, calmly. He walked over and grabbed Rin by the arm. "You're coming with me."

"Oh, okay," Rin answered in a soft voice. She followed besides him as she tried to keep up with his stride. Surprisingly, his grip didn't hurt.

"S-Sesshomaru, where are we going?" Rin asked after several minutes of silence passed through them. "I'm taking you to an open food stall. I don't want you getting involved in our robbery."

"Yes, that is okay with me," Rin answered not wanting to get involved in any type of robbery. Violence was not her thing. His hand loosened on her arm as he released his hold on her arm. Rin attentively reached out and held his hand. Sesshomaru stared down at their entwined hands.

Rin glanced up at him, "You were worried about me, right? I'm feeling much better. Thank you for being there for me."

"I am simply looking out for you. You entrusted your life on me." Sesshomaru answered briefly, reminding Rin about the incident at the train.

Rin understood what he meant. She didn't want him to protect her as an obligation, but as a man that was deep in love with her. _'He won't accept me...'_

"I miss my friend, Souten" Rin whispered, the bloody image of her friend continued to haunt her. Sesshomaru stayed silent knowing that Rin couldn't stay with him. She didn't belong in this harsh environment. She would be safer at her home living her life with another man.

He hated the fact that he wanted her. She was a woman that wasn't meant for him. He became jealous at the thought of Rin being with someone else other than him. What made him curious was the fact that he hardly knew anything about her and yet he felt this strongly for her.

_'It's such an absurd feeling.' _Sesshomaru thought pensively, enjoying the warmth her hand shared with his hand.

Rin and Sesshomaru came to stop in front of an open building that had tables and chairs decorating the place. The owners were cooking food that made people's mouth water. The small shop was always open and welcomed travelers. They had two installed horse stalls where the travelers were allowed to tie their horses or park their carriages.

"Order whatever you need. I heard that you haven't been eating, properly." Sesshomaru said depositing a small bag of silver coins in her cupped hands. Rin noticed that he glanced absently at her engaged ring. She had forgotten to take it off. Sesshomaru had a stare that took her breath away.

"Umm, are you coming back? Or are you leaving me here?" Rin asked, grabbing his hand and not letting go. She stared deeply into his amber eyes looking for an answer.

"It's better if you go back to where you belong. It's obvious that someone is waiting for you." Sesshomaru answered, his deep suave voice reached her ears. He had embraced her, her chest pressed up against his lean, muscular chest.

Rin stared up at him, "I don't want to go back. I ran away from a marriage I didn't want. Besides, I don't know where I am and I have lost my friend. I have to find her."

"..." Sesshomaru didn't say anything. He had the sudden urge to kiss her, but resisted. He told himself that he must not get distracted. Her innocent eyes and beautiful mouth teased him in ways she could never imagine.

"Take care," Sesshomaru said giving her one last glance, feeling empty inside. He let her go and started walking away. He took his horse from the stall and rode off, before she could stop him.

"You'll come back. I know it." Rin whispered staring at his retreating form. She sighed before walking inside the building and sitting down. She ordered some food deciding to make time until Sesshomaru returned for her. Deep inside her heart, she knew she was only trying to fool herself.

00000


End file.
